0
Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

the use of present tense in a sentence taken from "a portrait of Dorian Gray"

Hi, there: I came across a scene in "A portrait of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde:

“Too cold for Monsieur?” asked his valet, putting an omelette on the table. “I shut the window”
Dorian shook his head. “I am not cold,” he murmured.

My question is about the use of the present tense form "I shut the window", I think the question is an abbreviated one, such as "should I shut the window?", but I'm not sure about it. Could you explain it? We have many technical terms for the use of present tense, such as "instantaneous present", "habitual present", "historical present", etc. Is there a special term describing the quoted sentence in question?
thank you very much.
  

Top answer

Hi, I believe that in the original text there is a question mark, ie I shut the window ? This way of asking such a question in poor, incorrect English is commonly used by authors to show that the speaker is not English. Note also that the speaker says' monsieur'.

— Clive

  • Hi, I believe that in the original text there is a question mark, ie I shut the window ?
  • This way of asking such a question in poor, incorrect English is commonly used by authors to show that the speaker is not English.
  • Note also that the speaker says' monsieur'.
  • The speaker is intended to be French.
  • Clive
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
Hi,

I believe that in the original text there is a question mark, ie I shut the window?

This way of asking such a question in poor, incorrect English is commonly used by authors to show that the speaker is not English. Note also that the speaker says' monsieur'. The speaker is intended to be French.

Clive
0
0
I agree with Clive, but please note, Anonymous, that 'I shut the window' is also the past tense'.

Rover
0

Related Questions